Big Lake

Big Lake is a mucky oxbow near Squaw Creek NWR. It does have a SP, but its too clean and I dont visit. Instead I stay near the cabins on the SouthEast corner of the lake.

Spent the last four days clearing Ice-storm debris off of a family property on the lake. There are 8? large trees surrounding the house, a huge sycamore and a 60-ft elm thats split in three and only one-third still stands (not for long). I woke at sunrise and immediately went to work, cutting, hauling and burning the trees and dropped limbs. I brought a large chainsaw (didnt work) and my grandfather brought another electric one (burnt motor), but I was reduced to a large bow-saw, an axe and a hatchet. I fished for a day and a half until my dead bait was stolen off the truck- no human suspects- Caught a bullhead and lost a few to the new tree-snags. The first night was cloudy and we had a spectacular sunset. The second was crystal-clear and I tried shooting the stars. I made an attempt with a heavy lens and a busted tripod- It didnt work well- and I had a odd encounter with an oppossum. He could only be heard in the dead debris until I found him scurrying across down the edge of the lake- held up by a retainning wall. I snapped a blurred photo and made a loud noise when I took the cam off the tripod. He scurried a bit faster. In an attempt to approach the beast I stepped on a stick. CRACK!

He bolted- ran as fast as his tiny legs could carry 'em! His bee-line sprint along the egde of the lake landed him at the end of the yard, the wall- and down into the beginning of water. Blind in the dark of night he fled off the egde of the wall in a paniced attempt to outrun his invisible predator- Thats me!- Plunk. SPLASH.

Right off the edge of the wall- I couldnt believe that he had done it! The oppossum swam in a circle and then a bit to the right- a bit to his left- and finnally made his way to a ramp out of the chilled water. i met him there-My light shown on his beady eyes like it was the end. He stood still- waiting for the familiar sound of his most common predators.

However, the only sound he ever got was that of a few snapped sticks, my breathe and the shutter of my camera. He looks soo Happy!

Wednesday was full of birds. A flock of pelicans. A large group of cormerants- I didnt know they flocked! A handful of woodducks. A handful of Canadas.

With an enormous roar of voices and wings-there across the lake and at the end of the cove- grew some of the largest flocks of grackels Id ever known to exist. One flock carried thousands of birds and joined with an equally large one. The flew over me and the sky was filled with them. Their flock, though dense enough to block a considerable amount of sunlight, seemed to be an eighth of a mile wide if not wider, and spaned for a greater distance in length. They'd been there the day before- but not like this!

Thursday was rainy- just enough thunder to discourage me from staying near the tools. I still worked, but the fire took most of my time. That night a fog rolled in. There was a mist but no wind and the sunset gave way to one of the darkest nights Ive ever experienced. It was in the low 40's and very wet- things still dripped from the rains.

Friday got into the 60's and was again birdy. The morning was of songbirds of every shape and size. There were robins and cardinals, chikadees and juncos, sparrows and bluebirds, a pair of showy red-wing blk birds and some I coulnt recognize. A V of canadas flew into an adjacent field. The gackels were back-with a vengence! At one moment, upon looking strait up- not a good idea, by the way!- I witnessed two huge flocks moving in opposite directions. One flock flew above the other so quickly that it'd make you dizzy! It was a huge, swirling mass of blackbirds- as loud as they could be! They landed in the field with the geese and immediately took off again- the first birds leaving beofre the last could arrive. The mass lifted in uniform off of the ground and moved as if they were one.